If there was any small silver lining to spending all this time indoors in 2020, it had to be the truly ridiculous amount of books consumed. I caught up with royals, visited alternative versions of the past, went to art camp in Brooklyn, and even explored one very creepy haunted house (below).
I loved a ton, but the below 10, in no particular order, really stood out to me as my favorite new books of 2020. For anyone looking to kick off 2021 with a great read, check one of these out. You won’t be disappointed.
Everyone should make time to read this disturbing, thoughtful tale. This heartbreaker centers on a young woman who has a dark secret: For years, since she was a young teen, she’s been having a relationship with her high school English teacher.
What seems a clear-cut case of abuse is more complicated in Vanessa’s own mind, where she considers this a misunderstood love story. When more victims come forward years later amongst the #MeToo movement, she has the challenging task of having to recontextualize her life, and wonder how much of a victim she really may have been.
This book eschews easy answers and smartly interrogates how we process trauma. It’s a deeply compassionate look at an awful thing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it all year.*
What would you do if you suddenly fast-forwarded five years in the future, could see your life (including a mystery man who is decidedly not your current fiancé!), and then went back just a few moments later to the present day? That’s what happens to Dannie, who subsequently is determined to ignore her unexplainable experience — but of course, that soon becomes impossible when said mystery man of her dreams (future?) shows up in her real life.
I love books that are secretly about female friendship, not romance, and this sweet, heartbreaking charmer certainly fits the bill. You’ll be texting your best friend chapter by chapter, revelation by revelation. Devouring this charged romance of sorts, I could easily picture it on the big screen starring Anna Kendrick or Alison Brie — fingers crossed this comes to pass.*
Honest, chilling, and provocative, this novel follows twin Black women who as teens run away from their small town. Years later, one sister has returned home with her daughter and on the run from a bad ex. The other has disappeared, it seems, stepping into a new life when she realized she was able to pass for white.
The novel jumps around in time and perspectives, with some genuinely thrilling plot twists. The story explores race, yes, but it’s also a beautiful tale about the ties that bind, and the choices that make up a life.*
4. Open Book by Jessica Simpson
This was the most delightful surprise of the year for me! You don’t need to be a Simpson superfan to enjoy her thoughtful, clear-eyed memoir, which is both instantly devourable and really memorable. It’ll certainly be a fun read for anyone who remember her circa Newlyweds for the dish about Nick Lachey, being a virgin bride, and that ultra-weird reality TV experience, but the book shines brightest when Simpson movingly recalls the roller coaster of emotions in being a very public sex symbol and the mental number it does on her fragile self esteem when the public decides it’s just not that into her anymore.
It’s a fascinating peek behind the curtain, made all the more disarming by her frank voice on everything from her business savvy to her struggles with alcoholism. Bonus: You’ll never look at John Mayer, absolutely terrible boyfriend, the same way again.
5. Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
When her teenage sister goes missing and is killed at a Caribbean resort, 7-year-old Claire is obviously left with a million questions. As an adult, the what-ifs plague her, but a chance meeting with a stranger from the island as an adult sends her down a path of seeking answers about a mysterious woman whom she maybe didn’t know as well as she thought.
Eerie and complex, the shifting perspectives will certainly keep you intrigued and guessing until the very end.*
I was already a fan of Cole’s thanks to her excellent romance novels, but this thriller took my love to a new level. When No One is Watching is the kind of book you tear through in one sitting, desperate to know what happens next and not being able to stop until you do.
Sydney Green is a long-time Brooklyn resident who has seen what gentrification has done to be her beloved, tight-knit community. But when older residents start disappearing, she suspects something even more sinister is unfolding. Big Get Out vibes means you’ve got to read this one with a light on!*
This YA crowdpleaser takes place over just one day — election day, to be exact. When two teens, both voting for the first time, run into each other at their polling place, intrigue, if not quite sparks, fly. Over the course of an eventful several hours, complete with a mini road trip, family problems, and more, the duo get to know each other and realize these opposites actually have quite a bit in common.
While it doesn’t hit you over the head with it, I deeply appreciated this book’s consistent underlying message about how important voting is, the horrors of voter suppression, and how the personal is political, etc. You’ll be cheering for Marva and Duke to both share their feelings AND get more people out to vote. Netflix, this is the one to option — a new kind of teen dream, full of optimism, action, and hope.*
8. Memorial by Bryan Washington
This intimate story is about the families we are born into and the families we choose for ourselves — and how and when they can fall apart. Benson and Mike are a couple growing apart. When family disaster hits, Mike must go to Osaka, Japan to visit his dying father, and undergo big life changes in the process. The two must figure out what being together means, and if it’s possible to grow together.
Taking place in both Houston and Japan, it’s a quiet, sensual exploration of how we decide who we stick around for.*
9. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
If you need a delightful romantic comedy, this debut novel is the perfect super-sweet treat. It follows a plus-size fashion blogger, Bea, who becomes the next star of The Bachelorette (or, in the book’s parlance, Main Squeeze). But you don’t have to watch The Bachelor to enjoy this smart romance.
The book tackles body image issues thoughtfully, and it’s a total blast to try and guess which of the many charming suitors from the show Bea will ultimately wind up with. It’s like mainlining a season of reality TV, but this time complete with a clever and special happily ever after.
Fans of the Brontës, listen up: Set in Mexico in the 1950s, the creepy novel follows Noemí, a young socialite, who is sent by her father to investigate what is happening when her recently married, naive cousin sends them a panicked plea for help by way of a bizarre letter. Off to an old creepy estate she goes!
As the suspense builds with the something-is-seriously-off-here family she is investigating, the tale gets pretty gory, but this feminist spin on a few tropes on the genre make old new again. You’ll feel a sudden chill in the air as you make your way through this twisty thrill ride, full of spirits, disturbing memories, and murder.
* indicates blurb is repeated or adapted from a previous 2020 roundup.